Tears of a Wimpy Kid
by Dare to be strange
Summary: January hadn't always been a loser. After an embarrassing situation in eighth grade January was Marked early and inducted into the House of Night. She was attending a new school but that didn't make her any less of a loser. Will she fit in or fade out?
1. Chapter 1

_Notes:_ Hey there. This is a House of Night fanfiction. It's supposed to be set like Zoey Redbird and all of them had never existed. I'm going to completely remake the books, putting my own ideas in instead of just making the story a bit different but basically keeping the same ideas. I hope you guys don't mind, I won't butcher the story, I promise.

And another thing... January is not a Mary Sue, alright? She does have faults, a lot of them. I've been working on this character for awhile! I hope you all enjoy!

**Tears of a Wimpy Kid**

My name is January. There, that's my introduction...

Okay, not really. My name is January and I'm also sixteen. I'm also attending high school and am in the school band. I'm also a loser.  
I don't mean like a tragic loser. I don't dress up as Frodo from Lord of the Rings on Halloween and I definitely don't collect pogs, stamps or rocks. I am however, in one of the loser groups. Most of my friends are actors, singers, people on the chess team, basketball team, etc. We don't have any smokers in our group and I can assure you that most of them have never heard of personal hygiene.

I know I'm a loser because well, I wasn't always a loser. I wasn't a loser until I hit eighth grade, then it all went download. The first month of the eighth grade I was reveling in my popular glory. The guys liked me, the girls wanted to be me and the teacher's adored me. I didn't even know why, I wasn't exactly that special or attractive but I was funny. I sat at the best cafeteria table and got to the head of the line first regardless if there was other people behind me. People would part for me like the Red Sea when I was coming by.  
So one day when I was sitting with my friends making fun of another girl who had came out of the cafeteria with a Scooby Doo sweater.

"Oh my god, you'd think she would've grown out of Scooby Doo. You'd think this was the third grade instead of the eighth." I laughed but then stopped. I felt weird down in my abdominal area. I felt as if a river was flowing through me and I was being drained of all my fluids. I ignored it and kept eating, talking away to my friends.

When the bell rang I got up first and laughed at my friends as I went to put my things in the garbage and put my tray back. I had noticed they all went silent when I left and as I came back they were looking at me wide-eyed and then burst out laughing. Then I realized the rest of the cafeteria was laughing. I went over to the table with a big question mark on my face.

"What's so funny, morons?"

Jordon, the only guy in my group laughed and gave me a disgusted look. "Go talk to somebody else, Carrie."

They all gave me the cold shoulder as the left the cafeteria, leaving me in the giant room full of everyone laughing at me. I sighed helplessly and ran out the side door, heaving for the bathroom. I usually hid in there when something was bothering me and something was DEFINITELY bothering me.  
I walked into the bathroom slowly, knowing that no one was in here. No one used this bathroom. The school had six bathrooms, three for the guys, three for the girls, only the student population only used four bathrooms out of the six, leaving one guys bathroom abandoned and the girls one as well.  
I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. I didn't look too bad, nothing looked wrong with me. What were they talking about? I turned around, looking at my new 40$ jeans that I had just bought and... gasped.

"Oh my god," I muttered.

The back of my jeans were stained red and the stain went down to the backs of my legs and started in the front. I was shocked at it but slightly relieved. I had heard about getting my period but no one had really sat down and given' me the whole "low-down." I half sobbed and went to the wall by the mirror and sat down slowly, letting my back slide against the wall. I put my head in my hands for awhile, mulling my thoughts over.

I didn't know what I was doing, I must've half passed out but I found myself feeling like I had sat there for a long time. I was about to open my eyes when I felt a chill pass over me. I shuddered and huddled myself up, feeling a couple degrees chillier. I felt it again as I peeked my eyes open and squealed, my head bashing against the wall, a stab of pain seering into my head.

A cloaked figure stood before me. I could not see his face, all I could see was hands. His one arm was beside him while the other was in front of him, palm up. The palm itself had a intricate design over it and it was glowing.

"Who are-"

"January Hutter! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits your at the House of Night!"

He walked over to where I was sitting or more like glided and stood in front of me. I still couldn't see his face as he bent over and touched my gently on the forehead. I hadn't expected it to hurt. It was only a touch, right? I was a wrong. A blinding pain jolted through my head as I grabbed my hair, clenched my eyes shut and let out a yell. The pain lasted maybe two minutes and then it was over. When I opened my watery eyes, the Tracker was gone.

**Please R&R guys! I ignore flamers, btw. I don't even take nasty critism to heart nor' will I reply. :) Thanks! xox**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Freak-Out at the Homestead

"Oh my god," I said, astonished as I looked around the small deserated bathroom. The Tracker had left, he wasn't waiting in the stalls or anything. He had just plain disappeared. I was going to get up but I felt too shaky so I sat there for a moment, feeling frightened and a bit excited. I had heard about those who got Marked, they would go off to a different school. They kids usually got Marked when they were sixteen. What was I thinking, I may not even have a Mark.  
I stood up shakily, feeling the wet stain on the back of my pants as the bathroom air hit it and stepped in front of the mirror. My face drained a little of it's color as I gazed upon the blue cresent moon shoved between my small eyebrows. I gazed at it in wonder. I never had anything that would set me apart from everyone here, made me different, now I did.

When I had stopped gawking at myself I realized that I would have to get home and tell my mother. My father was never around, never had been, but my mother was always kind and accepting for a Christian and was fine with whatever I told her. So I gathered myself up, wrapped my sweatshirt around the back of my pants and walked slowly out of the bathroom. The bathroom was on the bottom floor, the Elementary side and at the bottom of the staircase at which I was standing in front of as I came out of the bathroom door led a perfect escape from school. I contemplated it for a minute, wondering whether or not I would get in trouble.

"Ah, nevermind it. Just go. You're bleeding and you've been Marked, I think that gives you an automatic pass or something." I muttered to myself as I pushed the door open, letting the fall breeze hit me like a cold wall.

I wasn't happy. I knew or figured Mom would be fine with it and help me out but I couldn't help feeling nervous. Many of the people who grew up attending the House of Night completely dropped their human families, completely made new lives for themselves. I didn't want that but what if I didn't have a choice? What if I HAD to drop my family? There was so many questions I wanted answered and I thought of many of them to ask my mother or anyone I could talk to about the House of Night as I trekked along on the long walk to my house.  
I usually walked to school. It gave me good exercize and stopped the other kids from tormenting me onthe way there. I was never really social and the bus was packed so Mom allowed me to walk as long as I carried Pepper Spray. I asked her if it was safe for me to carry it and she told me to do it anyways, I might not be safe. So I walked day in and day out. It would take me roughly an hour to get there and I would walk rain, snow or shine.

I finally managed to find myself standing by my mailbox. I stood there in daze for a moment and snapped myself out of my thoughts and grabbed the mail out of the mailbox and put the arm down before walking up my paved driveway and past my brothers basketball stand to the door. I walked in, putting my bag down on the chair as usual as I walked towards the kitchen.

"Mama?" I called out, knowing Mom would be around the house somewhere.

"January?" I heard footsteps upstairs and then soon the sound of her feet hitting the stairs on her way down to the first floor. As she came into the kitchen she looked at me but didn't notice my forehead quite yet. "Why are you home so early? It's only one..."

"W-Well," I stammered, deciding to see how low it would take her to notice my Mark, "I think I have my period. I was in cafeteria and the back of my pants were all bloody so I went and hid in the bathroom but it got worse so... I came back. Are you made?"

She gave me her signature Mom smile. "Of course I'm not mad, I'm just curious. Let me see."

I untied my sweater from around my waist and turned around, letting my Mom survey me before she chuckled and I turned around.

"Alright well, I'll go pick up some sanitary pads and tampons from the drug store. Do you want to come with -" She squinted at me, finally looking at my forehead as she went pale, frowning at me. "What is that on your forehead January? Please tell me that's a joke. Wipe it off."

A feeling of dread crept up in my chest but I fought it off. This was my mother, she wasn't going to give me a hard time about this she's just worried about me. She just doesn't want anything to happen to me.

"I got Marked today... in the bathroom. A Tracker came and... picked me." I sat slowly down at the kitchen and rubbed my forehead. There was a large bump on it. It felt like a pimple on a pimple.

"I can't believe this is happening," Mom moaned as she sat across from me, a devastated look on her. "This is an abomination."

I smiled at her before I realized what she said. When it clicked in my face changed to a look of anger.

"What? I snapped. "It's... you're supposed to help me!"

"Help you I will not, January. You're not going to that school, you're staying here."

"But Mom," a sob started to rise in my throat, "I'll die if I don't go."

"Be that as it may, I'd rather you stay here and... well, I'd rather you stay here than go there. As of now you are grounded, I will be locking all the doors and hiding the keys. You're staying here."

She stood up and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs as I lay my head against the table, crying until my head throbbed and my nose ran. I wish I had someone else here that loved me, I just wished I had somebody.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Decisions

"I am not sending here to that... that school! It's across the country! Aren't there any closer ones?"

I raised my head up as I heard my mother yell from upstairs. It had been the afternoon when I had passed out and now that I had awoken it was in the middle of the night, the moon deep in the sky. My mother spoke to anyone on the phone after nine. I realized then that the House of Night and those who dwell within' it have their classes at night. They are sensitive to sunlight. That would make sense.  
I stood from the table and crept out to the hallway, setting myself on the bench below the staircase, straining to listen to what my mother had to say.

"What? If I don't let her go she could rebel? What's this about emancipated minor?" There was a pause and a crash from upstairs. "No you may not come and talk to her! No, you won't catch her on her way to school, she isn't going!

I had wished I was older and more confident enough to just pick up the other phone in the living room and start talking myself but I wasn't. I knew one way or the other I would be leaving this place either dead or alive but I still couldn't cross my mother. Still couldn't face her.

"If you come to our door I will slam it in your face. Never come here. Goodbye!"

I heard her slam the phone down and a few steps later and she was in her room, the sound of the door slamming, her squeaky bedsprings crying as she threw herself on the bed. I shook my head. She really didn't understand. I knew I'd have to get out of here somehow, I was already starting to feel weak and I had developed a nasty cough.

I decided tonight while my mother was in the bath I would call Mrs. Forrest. She was a wonderful lady and liked me but hated my mother. If I called her and told her my mother was locking me in the house, Mrs. Forrest would definitely find a way to get me out of there. So I bided my time, reading some books out of the living room. I went up and cleaned my room, also taking the time to pack and to store my things under my bed so my mother wouldn't see it. Mrs. Forrest went to bed at eleven so I had plenty of time. My mother usually went into the bath at nine and stayed in there for a good hour. Hopefully by that time I'd be gone.

I had passed out on my bed for awhile but awoke when I heard the squeak of my door. I sat up in bed a little, watching Mom standing in my doorway with a towel slung over her arm.

"I'm going for a bath. If anyone answers the door, come and get me." I nodded at her and waited for her to leave. As I heard the familiar sound of the bathroom door clicking and locking, I dived out of my bed fully clothed and crept out of the room as silent as I could which wasn't easy because we had an old farmhouse type building and it was very rickety.  
I went down the staircase slowly and walked into the living room. The phone was sitting there almost gleaming like a sign from heaven as I rushed over to it and picked it up, dialing Mrs. Forrest.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Forrest?"

She paused for a minute, wondering whether or not to say something.

"Who is this?"

"It's January."

The old woman chuckled, sounding more friendly.

"Hello January! What can I do you for?"

"Well," I paused, wondering if I should tell her the whole truth. "Mom has locked me in the house. I can't get out to go to school or anything. Can you help?"

I heard clinking of some sorts and heard Mrs. Forrest say, "I'll be here in a minute. I'll find a way."

"Thanks Mrs. Forrest, you're awesome."

The phone hung up and I ran up to my bedroom as my mom poked her head out the door. "It's Mrs. Forrest. She wants me to help her unload her groceries."

Mom said nothing and poked her head back in the bathroom as I went into my bedroom, sitting on my bed by the window waiting for Mrs. Forrest's car to appear.

It came booming into the driveway about twenty minutes later by that time, Mom was already downstairs. I stared at the old station wagon until I spotted Mrs. Forrest and then I ran out of my room once again, heading down the stairs and coming to the door just as Mom was letting her in.

Mrs. Forrest looked at me and winked. "Alright, groceries then. Oh, was there something you wanted to show me, January?"

I nodded and grabbing her hand, pulling her upstairs. Once we were up there I whispered. "I have my bags packed. I'm going to the House of Night. Notice my Mark?"

Mrs. Forrest nodded and took the lead, heading to my room. She had babysitted me before, she knew where it was. I went ahead of her when we were in there and pulled out my bags, opening the window. I could've escaped from my window in the first place but it was a steep drop and I would surely hurt myself.

"Alright, I need you to go downstairs and talk to Mom as I drop these out of the window. I'm hoping she won't hear anything.

"Okay dear," Mrs. Forrest said as she headed out of my room, "just be careful."

I stood there for a minute with my bags in hand, the window open, listening to see if I could Mrs. Forrest and mother talking. When I heard their voices I started chucking my bags out the window. When I had them all out I went back downstairs.

"So, she should be back in another half an hour?" Mom said to Mrs. Forrest as I came into view.

The friendly lady nodded. "Of course, only a quick task."

"Alright." Mom nodded. She didn't look convinced. "Have fun."

As Mrs. Forrest and I exited my house I laughed in excitement as I went around the house and grabbed my bags, soon throwing them into the backseat of her station wagon.

When I got into the front seat I smiled at Mrs. Forrest. "Yes, I'm finally outta' here!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tiffany Hollywood

_Notes_: I decided to dedicate a chapter to Mrs. Forrest. She is going to be a reoccuring character in this story and I decided it would be a good idea to get some background info on her. She is going to be talking more about herself in the other chapter, but I decided to split it into two parts. I hope you guys don't mind!

"I'm beginning to wonder if you're mother has a shred of sanity. Everyone knows if you're Marked you have a limited amount of days to get to a House of Night before you, well, before you..." Mrs. Forrest stammered as she spoke to me, her eyes fixed on the road, both hands gripping the wheel.

I nodded, understanding what she had said and also understanding her state of nervousness. We were really good friends and it was hard to know that for several years you wouldn't be seeing the person you grew close to. "Before I die."

She sighed and looked at me, sending me a smile, "yes, that WOULD be the case, but it isn't now. I'm taking you there, you're going to be alright."

I smiled and stared at the dashboard. I had wished that Mrs. Forrest was my Grandmother. When she was babysitting me we would bake cookies and make forts just like I did when I was younger. There wasn't anyone in the neighborhood I liked more than Mrs. Forrest. The part I felt guilty about was that in all these years I hadn't even asked her about herself. I didn't know her first name, I didn't know if she had any kids, Grandkids, anything. I had only talked about myself and my problems when I needed Mrs. Forrest and I never took the time to see if she needed me.

"What's your first name Mrs. Forrest?" I blurted out, not realizing what I had said. I was raised just to call people what they told you to and leave it at that.

She kept her eyes on the road but a slight smile played on her lips. "Tiffany."

Tiffany Forrest? I didn't know why but I giggled a little bit. The names, well, they seemed like they fit perfectly together.

"Although, Forrest wasn't my original last name, it's my married name. I was a Hollywood." She smirked again as she said this, a glassy look in her eye like she was remembering old times. She hummed a tune as I tried to imagine her back when she was twenty. Tiffany Hollywood.

"So did you have any kids when you were first married?" I didn't know if I was prying but I wanted know a lot about Mrs. Forrest. My sudden rush to the House of Night made me feel like I was never going to see her again and I wanted to capture everything I could.

"Yes, I had one. His name was Louis. A troubled, troubled boy." That smirk that I loved to see on her face faded to a frown, a look of loss and sorrow. I regretted asking and wanted to tell her to forget, nevermind, but she continued. "He was a good boy at birth but... had a thing for destruction. Many kids would destroy things but he would destroy living things, quite maliciously at that. He would... dismember them. I thought it was a phase, so I looked past it, until one day he ran away and... I got a call from the police, they said he was being charged for murder... first degree." She glanced at me, blinking back tears as I looked at her, my eyes knotted together as I frowned. She faked a smile at me, shrugging. "It is all in the past."

I felt terrible for asking. I couldn't imagine having your son or daughter commit murder, having to live with the fact that something you did when they were younger had an impact on whether or not someone would live or die.

"Tell me, why did your mother name you January? It's beautiful but... quite unusual." Tiffany Forrest chuckled quietly, seeming more nervous than anything.

"Well, my mother's sisters name was April and her daughter's name is Summer. Summer had a baby and named it June and when Mom had me she decided to name me January. I don't really like it. I mean, what's even worse is that I was born in January." I tried to make it sound like I wasn't thinking of Louis, a crazed eyed man who looked like Mrs. Forrest, standing in a jailcell, pressed up against the bars. I couldn't help it though, the new news shocked me, shocked me quite deeply.

Mrs. Forrest noticed my distance from her for a moment and smiled at me, pointing to my seat. "Push the seat back, have a rest. We still won't be there for awhile, and I know how a heavy sleeper you are. I'll wake you up when you get close."

I didn't want to, I wanted to talk more to her, but I realized that this was a hint, a hint that she didn't want to talk more on the matter and she just wanted to be alone. I tilted my seat back and gave her a short hug which was quite awkward because I didn't want to bump her hands which were secure on the steering wheel and then I rested, looking up at the sunroof to the stars above me. I smiled, thinking of my new life, of what new adventures I was going to have. As I thought of these things, sleep took me and the only thing I knew was the distant sound of Mrs. Forrest humming and the whirr of the vehicle's engine.

**Hey guys, I've noticed a couple of you have favorited this story and I wanted to say, thanks! Don't think I hadn't noticed. If you guys have any ideas to where you want this to go or anything, just get ahold of me and I'll take a look through what idea you have!  
Please R&R guys! Another chapter coming VERY soon! (:**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Past of Hollywood

_Notes_: Alright, so this is part two to the whole Mrs. Forrest, Tiffany Hollywood thing. I know that it's not much about the House of Night but what she tells us, and January in this story may come up later. I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's not meant to. Mwuahahaha! (:

I felt the car jolt to a stop on the side of the road and I immediately felt a ball of nerves well up in my stomach. I had thought we had arrived at the House of Night when I opened my eyes. What I observed was not a structure that looked like a school but a large neon sign that glowed in the dark reading, "Motel." I looked over at Mrs. Forrest who was resting her head against the steering wheel, her shoulders shaking. I didn't know whether she was laughing, crying or just breathing having.

"Mrs. Forrest?"

She snapped her head to look at me, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. She was surprised, surprised I think that she was this way and I awake. Surprised that someone saw the great Tiffany Hollywood a mess in her car parked in a parking lot of a dingy Motel.

"I-I didn't know you were awake January. I... I don't think I can go on for tonight. I can't drive any longer. Do you think," she looked down at her knees and then back at me, a spanked puppy look in her eyes, "do you think you can make it until tomorrow?"

I thought about it for a moment. My cough hadn't gotten any worse, in fact, I felt one-hundred percent better. I had only been told though, that a young vampire only felt healthy and regular around an adult vampire. I wondered...

"January?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, I can make it until tomorrow." I snapped back to reality as she said my name, her face etched in concern.

"Where do you go when you do that?"

I flushed red, my cheeks felt like they were burning. Many people had asked me that but that had asked me in a harsher, less polite way. "Well, I don't really know Mrs. Forrest. I guess... I guess I kinda' go inside myself, if that makes sense. I kinda' just zone out on my own thoughts."

She giggled, raising her eyebrows and nodded knowingly. "I know exactly how you feel, my dear. I go through that everyday." She unbuckled her seatbelt as she said this and gave me a movie star smile. "Now let's get us a room and go inside, we can talk more in there."

"Sounds like a good idea, Mrs. Forrest."

She sighed, looking at me seriously. "January, call me Tiffany. I'm not the type of lady that likes to be reminded of her age and "Mrs. Forrest" makes me sound ancient."

"Okay," I laughed, "sounds good Tiffany."

After having trouble with a couple of her credit cards, Mrs. Forrest or Tiffany finally paid with cash and we were escorted by a bald man with an array of tattoo's to our room. It was room 108, I had an eerie feeling and I remembered a movie I had once seen with a room of the same number and a man was trapped inside with horrors around him. I gritted my teeth as we went inside. It wasn't a classy room but it did have cable TV, a bathroom with a small shower and neat little kitchen which in my opinion was the best part of the room.

I sat down on the smaller bed and looked around. "It's not that bad. I've seen Motel's in movies, they look really... grimey."

Tiffany chuckled out in the kitchen as I heard the fridge being opened. "You've never been to a Motel?"

"Mom didn't really like me leaving the house. She was a bit overprotective. She'd only let me go to your place, school and occasionally a tutor's house to study and all that." I felt a sting of guilt as I spoke of my mother. I thought about her searching around the house, looking for me, feeling betrayed and hopeless that I had run off. I knew she was trying to protect me, and I also knew that she truly didn't believe I was going to die if I didn't get to the House of Night. Suddenly I felt like I shouldn't have blamed her but I knew what would have happened and I knew in my heart that what I was doing was right. "She never really got along with you did she?"

Tiffany emerged from the kitchen with two Dr. Peppers. She shrugged as she handed one to me. "It's all I could find." She sat down on the larger bed across from me and opened hers, taking a small sip before she held it in her hands, shaking her head. "Your mother and I used to go way back. She was first husband's first love. You know the old saying, you never forget your first love." I nodded but I didn't really understand the saying. I had heard it but I didn't know it - I had never been in love, how could I. She continued, still looking at her can of Dr. Pepper, the sounds of the carbination echoing in the soundless Motel room. "They had started dating in high school of their senoir year. I was of course jealous, I had a crush on Jonathon - Jonathon Forrest. He was in the football team and was practically royalty in our high school. They had went to prom together and were nominated prom King and Queen. Everyone was excited but I was not." She smiled then and looked at me. She looked years younger, mischevious and beautiful. "Jonathon had been my math tutor for many months and we had a bond, a secret bond that was very sacred to us both but very strong. We didn't say anything because we were both scared. I was climbing my way up the social ladder and I wasn't exactly "high school royalty" material yet and we were both risking our reputations coming out with our relationship. It was stupid yes, but high school is full of stupid occasions." She stopped, taking another sip of her Dr. Pepper before she set it down on the table finally and rested against the bed, her head on the pillow. "We kept it quiet for awhile and it was going great until Autumn, your mother, started to catch on. She would show up at Jonathon's house while we were in a lesson and she would be irate. She would scream at me, "what are you doing here? Why are you always here?" He would try to calm her down but she would eventually end up breaking something and leaving the house. For the time, that was the end of our relationship. He made up with Autumn and kept his status and I was pushed to the bottom of the social ladder, forced to eat my lunch in the bathroom rather than deal with the teasing of everyone else." I finally rested against the bed as well but I leaned towards her, fully submerged in her story. "Years went by," she continued, "and I hadn't heard anything about Jonathon. I had seen Autumn around but she kept herself as far away from me as she could. I wouldn't ask her about him anyways, she'd probably claw my eyes out." She giggled to herself, holding her belly. "But then, about five or six years after graduation I'm at the grocery store and I turn the corner to go into the junk food aisle and there is Jonathon. He had lost a bit of his hair and had lost much of his muscle. He was very gangly but still very attractive and much like I remembered him. We had both talked as we shopped and I gave him my number. Well, as you can imagine, it went from there and we went on many, many dates. Soon after that, I found out that I was pregnant with Louis. I was overjoyed but Jonathon was not."

She stopped there, seemed to be lost in her thoughts, much like I was minutes before.

"Why? I mean... why wouldn't he be happy? He wasn't happy with Mom and I can't blame him. Why wouldn't he be happy to be tied to you?"

"You are so young," she looked at me, her eyes looking young and innocent for just a moment and then they flashed back to the knowledged eyes of Mrs. Forrest. "He didn't see himself as a father. He had had an abusive set of parents and he had a mean streak in him. I don't mean he wasn't kind, he was undoubtedly so, but he had a red hot temper and rarely but sometimes, it would get out of hand. He didn't want to turn his kids into things that were hated, despised, kids that would beat other people and yell at them. He knew what he was and he knew what he could create. I had many councilors after I had Louis and they all told me to save my child I must get rid of the father, he was infectious. I couldn't do it. He had never done anything to me and for the most part he treated Louis like gold."

She grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and dabbed at her eyes. "Sorry, it's hard to talk about."

I grabbed one from the nightstand as well and spoke to her through my tears in a half sob. "We can stop if you want, I don't want to pry."

"No January, it's alright. We need to get to know each other a bit more, you need a Grandma' in your life." She grinned at me and set her tissue on her belly, looking at the ceiling. "So where was I? Oh right. After the councilor had told me that I figured he was crazy, that he was overreacting and that nothing would be wrong with Jonathon being here and that it wouldn't impact Louis. Then one day I got a call from his Kindergarden teacher. She was in hysterics. She had said that Louis stabbed another kid in the leg with a paint brush. I was hesistant to believe it, I mean... how could he stab someone in the leg with a paintbrush? It was a blunt object and Louis wasn't a very strong. I asked her how he had done it with a paintbrush and she said that many kids had witnessed Louis break the paintbrush over the sandbox's wooden edge and attacked the younger boy. I had hung up on the woman foolishly and had lounged on my sofa for hours, crying and crying. It was then I had decided to get rid of Jonathon."

She reached in her purse which was on the floor and grabbed her wallet, taking out a small photograph and handed it to me. "That's Jonathon. That was two months after Louis was born."

I looked down at the photograph, at Tiffany's first love and could understand why she stayed with him. He was very attractive with curly brown hair. On anyone else it would've looked like an afro but on him it looked like it was meant for him and only him. His eyes were slanted like cat's and had a mysterious glint to them. His mouth tilted up at the side and it made him look sly, like a smooth talker. I smiled at his clothing and his stance. He really thought he was high class and I wondered how Tiffany Hollywood ever got caught up with someone like this.

I handed back the photo to her and said nothing. She looked down at it, smiling, and then put the photo back in her wallet, stuffing it back into her purse before she continued with her story. "Jonathon was alright with us splitting. He was more alright than I thought he would be. He seemed to realize that he didn't love me anymore and that his presence was affecting Louis. He gathered all his stuff from our place, which he was paying for, and gave me enough money for food food Louis and I, rent for two months and bus fair. He also managed to acquire divorce papers and signed them, sending me the papers in the mail so I could sign them as well. Soon after that, Jonathon and I were divorced and I went back to my original name, Tiffany Hollywood. I was no longer Mrs. Forrest."

"So why did you keep the name?"

"Well," she laughed. "There was many people I had met when I was Tiffany Hollywood that I definitely don't want to see again. I decided to keep Jonathon's last name so I could basically start again somewhere else where my past wasn't going to haunt me. Although it did haunt me many years later when Autumn moved into the neighborhood and I had found out she was pregnant." She smiled at me, reaching over to nudge my matress. "I was horrified at the beginning, thinking of another Autumn running around but you turned out completely different my dear."

"Thanks Mrs... I mean, Tiffany." I tried to smile but still wondered about her story. "So what happened after you went back to Tiffany Hollywood."

"Well, my dear, it was as I had told you. Louis had done all those horrible things and then I had moved to where I am now, leaving everything behind."

Everything didn't seem to piece together in the story. She had said that Louis had stabbed another kid with a paintbrush and then she got rid of Jonathon and then moved... so where did the murder take place? Many things were unanswered but Tiffany looked so tired, so stressed that I couldn't help but stop my mind from racing, and keep my mouth from asking questions.

"I'm really tired Tiffany, maybe we should go to bed?"

"Good idea honey, sorry for stressing you out."

"No problem. Goodnight, Tiffany Hollywood."

"Goodnight dear."

**Hey guys! I know it's taking a long time to get January to the house of night and we don't really know what she looks like and all that, but just you wait - that's coming! You just have to be patient and wait until the story unfolds. It'll be great, I promise!  
R&R please! (:**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

New Surroundings - A Perhaps Friend

_Notes_: Alright my dears, we're off to the House of Night! Introducing new characters, some may stay in the story, some may randomly appear in small parts, so pay attention to everyone! Enjoy!

"I think it's about time for you to wake up, my dear. I've gotten' you breakfast but then we have to get going. I have a feeling the High Priestess of the school is probably wondering why you haven't arrived yet."

I heard Tiffany's voice and kept my eyes closed until I heard the word "breakfast." My stomach grumbled at the same time I did as I sat up, smelling eggs and some sort of bread. I took a minute to get out of bed but when I did I went out into the kitchen and sat at the small island in the middle of it across from Tiffany and stared to pick and devour my eggs, bacon, and my sour dough bun. Tiffany payed no attention to me and read the paper. It wasn't like her to be distant and I wondered if she was mad at me.

"Is something wrong Tiffany?" I said through a mouthful of food, feeling a bit rude. "Are you angry about last night?"

"No." She put down the paper and looked overtop of her glasses at me. "Your mother got ahold of me and told me that she was calling the police. She told me that I stole her boyfriend and now I was stealing her daughter. However, the police didn't know she had locked you in the house and when she blurted that to them - and when she blurted the fact that you had been Marked, they called her crazy and reported it as a false alarm."

I giggled a little bit. "You should be happy."

"But I am not!" She yelled, and I skidded back in my chair, looking at her. "Autumn has made it her life plan to make mine a living yell. It's like we're two magnets, we're always drawn to each other and then we clash. Look! I move away and then she moves there with her baby nonetheless! A baby whose father was nowhere! She didn't even know who she was! She sauntered around like she was the best thing and threw garbage on people like who honestly just wanted to get through life as quietly and dramaless as possible!" She breathed heavily, her arms shaking, anger seering through her. "I am really sick of this, I am really sick of her. January, come back to the table."

I did as she said, reluctantly and rested my elbows against the table, putting my chin in my hands. She grabbed my hands and held them in hers, looking at me seriously. "I know you need me January but I and you, for that matter, must not live our lives for other people, we must do what we must do. You must go to the House of Night."

"What will you do?" Tears brimmed in my eyes as I squeezed her hands, "where will you go?"

"I am done with this place January, you must understand." Tears were started in her eyes as well. "Too many memories, too many things. I have a place waiting for me in Africa. I have a friend there, a penpal of mine who I have known for many years who is willing to let me stay with him."

I took my hands away, suddenly feeling alone and betrayed. She said she was going to be there for me and then took the offer away like it was nothing. "So... you're leaving..."

"Tomorrow. I know you're angry January but I'm unhappy here. I will still drive you to the House of Night and I will give you my number. You can call me anytime."

I stood up from the table, heading towards the beds to grab my stuff, muttering along the way. "It doesn't matter, just get me there."

I grabbed my stuff and went into the bathroom to change. When I was in there, I sat down on the closed toilet seat and put my head in my hands. My head throbbed and my throat ached, nothing seemed to be going right. I knew Tiffany needed to get away but I had nobody to confide in, nobody. If only I had a Jonathon of my own, someone who was perfect in everyway to talk to, just somebody.

_"My dear, do you ever consider that is it not other's you need to depend on, but yourself?"_

I snapped my head towards the soft voice towards the shower and gasped, sliding off my toilet seat onto the floor. A very beautiful woman, who I had seen in many books, whose name was Nyx, floated before me, her kind face gazing at me, looking quite foolish on the floor.

"N-Nyx?" I was flabbergasted. I wasn't particularly special and I hadn't expected an actual Goddess to materialize before me. "Uhh... hello..."

Her smile widened and she spoke again, her face friendly but serious.

_"I know what you are thinking my child, I have come here to speak to you of some hidden gifts you may have but this is not the case. I do not reveal those surprises, they are up to you to unfold," _she moved closer to me, her hand hovering just above my shoulder, _"I have come here to give you advice, just as I have done with many of my children. If I have Marked you, I am responsible for setting you in the direction of the right path. Whether you choose to take it is up to you, I offer everyone of my children the power of free will." _She leaned over and kissed my mark as I felt a slight tingle within' me. _"You must not abandon those who you will need in the future, January, they are your tools to salvation and without them you will drown in the waters of the oblivious."_ She stopped there, staring at me, waiting for me to respond.

"But... mother... what does that mean?"

_"That_," she chuckled, _"is something you're going to have to figure out on your own, dear one. I have given you all I can, the rest is up to you. Blessed be, January. Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again!"_ With that she vanished, leaving me stunned and sore on the bathroom floor.

When I was exited the bathroom after shakily getting my clothes on and brushing my hair, it appeared that Tiffany was already in the car. The keys were on the table in the kitchen for the room and I took them downstairs, dropping them off at the desk before going to the parking lot, finding Tiffany's car which was already running and set my things in the backseat, soon sitting in the front seat myself, shutting the car door.

I put on my seatbelt as I looked sheepishly at Tiffany. "I'm sorry."

She smiled her Grandmother smile at me. "It's alright January, I understand what you're going through, but understand this: I may be across the world but it doesn't mean I'm not there for you. You're not alone."

I looked down at my lap and nodded as Tiffany clicked her tongue, humming, "House of Night, here we come."

I was asleep when we arrived at the House of Night. It was dark again, and the stars loomed above me asI opened my eyes at the sound of the car stopping and shutting off. I turned my head sideways and looked at Tiffany.

"Oh, so you're up."

I stretched a little and brought my seat back up, looking around the parking lot. "Woah... is it me or does this school kinda' look like a mini' castle?"

Tiffany looked around, her face appearing just as shocked as mine. "It does, doesn't it? I've never been here. There aren't any House of Night's between your place and here. Tulsa was the closest House of Night we could get you to."

She exited the car and I did the same, letting the night air batter my face as I tried to get ahold of my long, bushy brown hair as it whipped around my face, getting caught in my mouth. I went to the backseat and helped Tiffany grab my bags. I went bent in the backseat as I heard Tiffany yell. I yelled as well and brought my head up, smacking my head against the roof of the vehicle before sliding out, looking at Tiffany and another woman.

"Hello January. I'm Neferet, High Priestess here at the House of Night. I was expecting you yesterday but I undestand, things happen. I can imagine you're very tired, would you like me to show you to your room? You'll be sharing your room with another girl but she is very nice and has been very anxious to meet you."

I nodded but before I followed Neferet I looked at Tiffany. "Can Tiffany Forrest come as well? She is technically related to me but she's been the only Grandmother I've had."

Neferet flashed a perfect white smile at me, her moss green eyes twinkling at me, her face very friendly. "Why of course she can come. Follow me, girls." She smiled and turned as Tiffany I followed her, our bags in tow.

The school was quite elegant compared to any other school I've seen. It wasn't anything compared to Hogwart's or anything, but it was quite a place for school to be held. Many torches lit the hallways of stone bricks, other hallways contained blocks as we walked up many staircases upon staircases, gathering looks and snickers from other students.

"The girl you'll be sharing your room with isn't here right now, she's down at the Dining Hall for dinner. I would offer to escort you down but it ends in ten minutes but there is food when you get inside your rooms, I'll show you."

Neferet led us to a door and we went inside, viewing what looked to be a apartment - almost common room. There were many students here, all girls, lounging on the sofa's and talking. They all stopped when we entered and viewed us and Neferet's walthrough.

"This is the girl's dorm. Here you can watch TV, sit here and chat. The food is up the in the cupboards. There isn't much junk, we like our fledglings to be healthy so they'll be more apt to accept the change." She stopped for a moment so I could take it all in and then continued, walking through the common room into back. "The rooms are back in here up the staircase. Your room is number 95, just go up the stairs and turn right. Here is your key." She handed me a small old fashioned key and patted my shoulder. "I'm sorry I can't accompany you but I have business I must attend to. It was nice to meet you, Tiffany and January, I will see you tomorrow to discuss classes and the rules of our House of Night." Tiffany and I waited until she left and then dashed up the stairs and went right, scanning the room numbers until we found number 95. I unlocked the door quickly and we went inside.

It was a nice room, it was kept mostly blank and I figured that was because the girl was expecting a roommate and didn't want to intrude on the personality. I flopped on the bed without sheets and shouted, "awesome!"

Tiffany laughed and set down my things. "Alright kiddo, unfortunately I can't stay. I need to leave right now to make my flight by tomorrow." She held her arms open for me as I got up off the bed as collided into her, squeezing her into a hug, squashing her.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too January. I will call you when everything is set up down there."

She kissed me on the forehead and then she was gone. I sat back down on the bed and curled into a little ball, setting my head against the pillow that I brought and closing my eyes, taking a small snap, letting the stress of the day and my new home wash off of me, awaiting my new situation to unfold.

**Hey hey guys! So how did you like it? Mrs. Forrest or Tiffany Hollywood may be leaving for now but believe me, she's coming back. Yes, Neferet is here and no, I can't tell you if she's evil or not but believe me, it's your regular House of Night with a completely different story line. :)  
R&R please! xoxox**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jo'anne

_Notes_: **Thanks for reading guys, this was just a spur of the moment story but I've had a few people tell me they enjoy it so I guess I'm going in the right direction. Here you go!**

"Honestly, I don't know how long she's been sleeping for. She must've had a long trip or something... oh? Oh okay. I'll talk to you later then Mike. Yep. Yep. Okay. Bye."

I heard a click of a cellphone and footsteps as I came out of my slumber. I didn't know how long I was out for, but I knew I probably miss my roommate's entrance by a few hours. I sat up slowly, observing her bent over her trunk, rummaging through her clothes. She picked up a sweater and turned around. She held it up to herself before she noticed I was awake. She smiled and threw the sweater back into the trunk and sat onto the bed next to me.

"Why, you sleep forever if you don't mind me saying. You arrived here around dinner and that was four hours ago." I rubbed my eyes, feeling astounded that I had slept that long. "I'm Jo'anne." She held out her hand, I noticed it was perfectly manicured, but I shook it nevertheless. "So, you were Marked three days ago, huh? Yeah, there was a rumor going around that someone new was going to show up, we just didn't know when."

I scratched at my eyes, standing up, stretching a little before I looked out the window, it looked to be about midnight, the moon was high in the sky. "When do classes start?"

Jo'anne stood up with me and then she went over to her desk over near her bed and picked up a paper, bringing it back to me. "Here's your time sheet. You missed classes, they start at eight o'clock at night and run until two o'clock in the morning. Everyone's practically sleeping now, that's why I wasn't going to wake you up." She went over to her bed and sat down on it, smoothing out her blanket. "Nice hair by the way, very seventies."

I blushed as I touched the top of my head and stuffed my time sheet into my bag before sitting back down on my bed. I rested my back against the matress, staring the ceiling.

"It's a lot to take in, I know." Jo'anne's voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned my head sideways to look at her as she did the same. "I haven't gotten' used to it yet and I've been here two months."

"Where were you Marked?" I thought about my old high school, the bathroom and still felt as embarrassed and terrified as I did on that day.

"At night right as I was going to bed. I had a big exam the next day and I was going to bed early." She laughed, her short red hair making her look like a pixie, "it was something out of a horror movie. The Tracker appeared at my window and I freaked." Her expression was very heated, like she could recall the memory very well and her feelings in the situation. "My mom was totally cool with it. My Aunt was Marked when she was fifteen, we have a lot of vampires in the family."

As I looked at her, I noticed her Mark was different, it was filled in. Everyone else, other than the adult vampires had had a blue outline of a cresent moon, hers was completely blue and she had an array of sparkles decorating her forehead. "What's with the mark?"

Jo'anne suddenly looked annoying, swatting at her forehead. "Oh, this thing? Apparently I've been gifted by Nyx. I'm a life bringer. I am able to bring back someone who has been dead for only a few minutes. Now, this is just what they say, I haven't actually done it or anything." She looked like it was no big deal but I stared at her, my mouth agape. She looked at me defensively. "What? Have they not told you about Nyx and her gifts? You can't just get one, you get chosen or something like that. It's a really high honor but I find the gifts more burdens than anything else. They just screw with your mind, make you think loony and all that."

I suddenly wished that I could just go to sleep so I could find Neferet and have her answer all my questions. I had an uneasy feeling of being in this place and not knowing what it was about. These gifts seemed like something I should inform myself about.

"Anyways," she said as she pulled herself under her blankets and shut light off. "You need to get some rest and I'm tired of talking, no offense. Goodnight."

I didn't say anything back as I stared at the ceiling for a good house, horror and wonder battling in my mind. I finally stopped fighting sleep and let it take me into a restless state, making me more tired than anything.

"Hey you, new girl. Wake up. I never got your name, by the way. Someone said it was a month?"

I sprang up in bed, feeling really aggravated that I had been woken up by people the past four mornings a in row. I had a stitch in my neck because I had fallen asleep before making my bed, therefore I had no pillows and my arms were red from the scratchy matress. The day wasn't looking good for me.

"Ugh..." I groaned, holding my head, "what time is it?"

Jo'anne looked at her watch, smiling gleefully at me. "Seven o'clock. Class starts in an hour. I was up about an hour ago and I already showered so you should do the same. Oh, and I also got your uniform from Neferet this morning, it's hanging in your closet." She was about to exit the bedroom before she turned around in the doorframe. "When you're done come downstairs, we've got cereal and all that waiting for you." Jo' anne finally left and I was grateful. I was definitely not a morning person.

I grabbed my beach towel that I had had for many years and trudged to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. It was quite a large bathroom for only two people but I didn't mind, it meant more space. I stood in front of the mirror for awhile, gazing at my reflection, shaking my head.

My mother, Autumn Hatten, was a beautiful woman but she had the world's word frizziest hair. It honestly looked like one of those jumbo cotton candy wads that you get on a stick. It was so huge that when we went to the movies people would complain. Now, when I was younger, I hoped that I would bloom when I hit my teenager years and look more like my mothers side but apparently the only thing I inherited from her was her hair, the rest was completely my father, who I did not know.

Apparently he was Danish. He and my mother had met shortly after Jonathon left Tiffany. She had told me this, although at the time I did not know that Mrs. Forrest was Tiffany and that Mr. Jonathon was actually Mrs. Forrest's first husband. My mother and my father had a short affair. They partied in Denmark, Sweden, all around Europe until my mother found out she was pregnant. When she had told him, he left her in the morning, completely vanishing from her life completely. She told me the last I had asked that he hadn't tried to make contact with her since.

I touched my flat, danish nose in my reflection and sighed, my throat feeling hot and tight. I had always dreamed of my father showing up, taking me to Europe, but I knew he wouldn't. I knew didn't care about my mother and I. I touched my lips and knew they were Danish as well. I knew everything about me resembled him. Maybe I would see him one day, maybe I would see a man that looked exactly like me and we would both know in our hearts that we found each other.

I finally gathered myself up and got into the shower, feeling a lot better after I washed the grim from my body and the dirt out of my hair. In about half an hour I was out again, standing in front of the mirror as I had before, brushing my hair. I wrapped myself in my towel shortly after that and left the bathroom, heading to my closet. I grabbed a black blazer with a black shirt adjoined to it, a black skirt with polished shoes accompanied by black knee high socks to match. I dressed in it quickly, not wanting to make a bad impression by complaining about the clothes and headed downstairs, shutting the room door behind me.

The common room was packed with girls and I suddenly felt like I was back in the cafeteria of my old high school, dodging the sneers and laughs of other people. I suddenly spotted Jo'anne sitting with two other girls in bean bag chairs in the corner. One of the chairs was free. I walked fast through the chair and heaved myself into a chair, heaving a sigh of relief.

Jo'anne laughed, pointing at the crowd of students. "Like a zoo in here, isn't it?"

One of the girls sitting beside Jo'anne laughed, her honey blond waist length hair slapping her fellow friend in the face. "It's always like this in the morning, it's like they don't feed us or something. Breakfast is like the busiest time in here, lunch is like... second busiest or something like that."

I wanted to snort and roll my eyes but I didn't. However, Jo'anne did it for me pointed at the blond teen. "That's Natasha, she's not exactly the brightest person here."

"And I'm Nanah." The other girl said whose face I could not see due to a wall of blond, almost gray covered hair, "it's nice to see another face here."

"She could say the same thing to you, Na, but she can't see your face!"

Nanah pulled her hair aside and I almost gasped. Her skin almost looked translucent and her eyes were a shocking light, light blue. I was entranced as Nanah smiled and pulled her hair in front of her face again. The three girls laughed, I just stared at my hands, feeling more like an outcast than ever.

"Oh yeah," Natasha said, leaning close to me, "Neferet came and told me to escort you to her office before classes, she wanted to talk to you or something?" She stood up. "Want to go now?"

I nodded, standing up as Jo'anne grabbed my leg. "Nice uniform by the way, fits you good. I thought we were about the right size." I grabbed her arm and squeezed as I followed Natasha out into the hallway.

We walked in silence for a bit befoer Natasha spoke, her voice quiet but loud in the empty hallways. "I wanted to warn you. Jo'anne isn't exactly the nicest person and she has a reputation for backstabbing. She is very unliked in this school, don't let her fool you. She is not powerful here."

I was surprised at Natasha but nodded nevertheless, storing the information in my brain for later, a feeling in my head telling me I would need this information later.

We continued walking and soon we stopped before a large wooden door. She smiled, pointing at it. "Yep, the taxi has stopped, we're at your destination. Good luck, by the way don't let Neferet overwhelm you, it's really not all that much information to take in."

"O-okay..." I stammered as the doors opened creepily.

I didn't know what I was in store for. I was in a building full of people who I did not know, with not a recognizable face or a friendly in the masses of the students. Nevertheless, I opened the wooden doors, walking through them, holding my breath.

**Alright so, here we introduce a new character, Jo'Anne. She is pretty much an Aphrodite type character although she isn't so heartless in the beginning, just troubled.  
We'll be dealing with Neferet in the next chapter so, let's have good time with it.  
R&R guys! Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Strange

_Notes:_** Oh, I love new characters. So I'm introducing two new ones, both are boys but please don't think they are romantic prospects, they are just friends. The romance comes much later.**

"Come in January, have a seat. Would you like a drink?"

I had expected Neferet to be formal, I mean... she was just going to tell me about my classes and the rules of the school but she looked and acted quite relaxed. i had noticed her feet which were propped up on the desk were bare and her high heels sat beside the desk, sitting on their sides. There was a small calico cat on her chest, purring and nudging her chin with it's head.

I sat down on the only unoccupied chair in the room and folded my hands in my lap. I didn't like going to any office because nine times out of ten I was in trouble when I was in such a place.

"Sorry for my relaxed attitude. I've had a really long day, it's hard sometimes being High Priestess." She took her legs off the desk and stared down at a few papers on her desk. "I have your classes sorted out. The room number and your Professor's names for each class are located on it. Have a look at it and see what you think."

I leaned over and grabbed the papers out of her hand. I didn't know what kind of things they taught at this school but they definitely weren't anything I have ever seen before.

Student #: 305 Name: January Hatten

D.O.B: April 6, 1996 Parent(s): Grandmother - Tiffany Forrest

**time Sheet**

**1st Period ****Prof. Neferet**** Home-room 6:00 - 7:15**

**2nd Period ****Prof. Loren Blake**** Poetry 7:20 - 8:00**

**3rd Period ****Prof. D Lankford**** Fencing 8:05-9:20**

**4th Period ****Prof. Penthesilia**** Literate 9:25-10:35**

**5th Period ****Prof. Nolan**** Drama 10:40 - 11: 25**

**6th Period ****Prof. Lenobia**** Equestrian Studies 11:30 - 12:40**

**Dinner: 12:50 -1:50**

**Study/Free/Social Time 2:00 - 4:00**

**All Students Must Be In Dorms - 4:10**

**1 Hour Grace Period To Be In Dorms - 4:10 - 5:10**

**5:10 - 4:00 P.M students MUST remain in their dorms!**

After looking at my time sheet and carefully looking over my classes, the only thing I had to say through my shock was, "Mrs. Forrest isn't my Grandmother."

Neferet laughed. "Well of course she isn't but we do not know your parents and Mrs. Forrest was the only woman you came with. To us, that makes her family. If she doesn't feel that way to you, please let me know."

"Oh no, it isn't that at all but... aren't these on file? I mean, the information isn't correct, I-"

"January," Neferet said, sounding very calm and nurturing. "You will find here at the House of Night things are a bit different. You are who you choose to be. If you don't like your name, you may change it. If you don't like your family, you may choose not to have them listed on the files."

I did look at her like she was nuts, I didn't believe her at all but something inside was excited, excited to break the bonds of my name "January." Would I really want to change my first name or my last name was something I debated about. I definitely didn't like last name "Hatter" I would rather it be Nightside or something. Yeah, Nightsound, that sounded good...

"January?"

I shook my head, feeling sorry for myself. I had zoned out again when I was supposed to be listening to my High Priestess. "I'm sorry, I kinda' sometimes fade in and out of reality. Heh."

She eyed me warily before giving me a smile and continuing. "There are some rules here at the House of Night and I hope you and I could discuss them together, sound good?"

"Yep," I said. I didn't like rules, but I would tolerate them for her. She seemed to be powerful enough not to take any crap from anybody.

"Alright," she stood up and started pacing her desk. "Firstly, classes here at the House of Night begin at six o'clock in the evening and end at one o'clock in the afternoon. Secondly, you must remain in your dorm until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I know it sounds harsh but we must use our time wisely. Secondly, you may not be away from adult vampyre's for too long. It's not something foolish like you'll grow warts or something, it's more serious than that. Your life depends on your health and to be healthy, you must stay near the adults. You may however leave for a few hours on end. That brings me to the third rule. If you leave the school grounds you must not wear any part of your school uniform and you must have your Mark covered up at all times so that no one can see it, not even you. Fourthly, Rituals are held at Nyx's temple twice a week, it is mandatory for all students to attend. Fifthly, cats are allowed at this school. If a cat chooses you, you may bring it inside the school and let it run free. Cats are not a problem here, we enjoy the feline companions. That would be it, young fledgling. Is there any questions you want answered?"

There were many that I could think of and I wanted to ask but something inside me stopped my mouth from moving and my voice from coming out. It was like my mind was physically stopping me from doing something.

"Uh, no... Professor. I was just listening... there aren't many rules, hm?"

She giggled, running her hands through her hair, letting out a sigh. "We like our fledglings to be pretty much free. There are some things we must enforce for safety of course and just to give new students some information about their first year but other than that."

I nodded, and glanced back down at my paper again. I had never taken Fencing before, most people I knew probably wouldn't even let me around a butter knife let alone fence.

"Alright well, I have things I must do, January. You have your time sheet and it is about 5:45 now so you have about fifteen minutes before your first class starts and oh, would you look at that? I'm your first class for the morning. See you there."

I raised my eyebrow for a minute realizing that I had been dismissed and rose out of the chair, heading quickly out of the wooden doors again, closing them behind me. Amazingly, Natasha had waited for me. How long had I been in there?

I went over to where she was sitting with two guys, her face lit up as she saw me. When I stood in front of her she grabbed the time sheet out of my hand, scanning it over.

"Sweet!" She handed it back to me, "you and I have home-room together!"

I wanted to happy but I noticed the two guys sitting on each side of her. I didn't like new people and these guys made me a tad nervous. I wasn't a fan of men, they teased me relentlessly when I was a kid and used to beat on me endlessly.

Natasha noticed as she looked at the guys, sighing and shrugging her shoulders. "These two are Chris and Tom... they look mean but they're harmless, honestly."

"Which one is which?" I said quietly.

The larger of the guys leaned forward and stared into my eyes, trying to see if I would look away. "I'm Tom and he's Chris. Chris doesn't speak much."

I looked at Natasha as she nodded and said, "it's true."

"Why doesn't he talk?" I didn't know him, didn't care much about Chris but I was curious.

Tom leaned back against the bench again, shaking his head. "We don't know. I'm his best friend and he don't even talk to me about it. I don't think he's spoken since fifth grade."

"That's strange." It was strange. I had never heard of anyone who just disconnected that way. "Does he write or anything?"

"Oh yeah," Tom nodded, "he'll talk to me on the computer but he'll never talk about himself, he'll only talk about school."

"I think that's the bell," Natasha said, going and picking up her bag off the other bench. I heard it too.

Chris and Tom stood up as Tom stepped closer to me, "we have Lit. right now but I'm sure we'll meet up with you and Natasha in the Dining Hall at dinner."

I stepped a little ways from him, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Sounds good."

I started following Natasha as she said, "hehe, have fun with Vamp Sociology 101, it gets pretty boring at some points."

"Oh great."

**R&R please guys! xoxo 3**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

First Class

_Notes:_** Okay guys, so, I took part of the classes from the book but I did try to make it a bit different. I hope you don't mind. Introducing a few new characters, look for them, they make reappear in different chapters. Demetri is a love interest though, that's all I'm saying!**

"We're going to what we like to call the Third Former hallway. We are all Third Formers, but you'll learn that in Vamp Sociology 101." Natasha said as we walked through the dimly lit hallways. "My class is near yours so I'll set you in the right direction."

I nodded as we walked in silence passing a few other fledgling students who gave us glances warily before speeding up towards their own classes. I wondered how different Sociology would be from my previous school. I knew there was one different, the fact that it was about the vampyre race instead of the human race. It was still unnerving of course, I knew nothing about vampyre's and I suddenly felt self-absorbed.

"Jo'anne has 101 with us," Natasha sighed, stopping in a hallway with walls covered in doors which no doubt led to different classrooms. "So here we are. You're right over there and I'm down the hall," she said, pointing her fingers at the places she was directing at. "The bathroom is there. I'll be waiting for you when class is over."

Without waiting she walked away from me and vanished behind one of the doors that littered the walls. I gulped and walked over to my classroom door, staring painfully at it's wooden texture. I didn't want to go in, I didn't know anyone here. I was weird and was painfully shy and hard at fitting in. I couldn't see this going well but I opened the door nevertheless and stopped as I walked into a classroom that was completely silent. It was odd. I was used to walking in classrooms that resembled a zoo, and here it was, completely silent and still. The students I was supposed to be learning with were still looking at me with their inscrutable gazes but I wandered nevertheless to the back of the classroom and took a seat beside a curly dark haired native boy that looked a little shady to me.

The door of the classroom opened and Neferet strode in. She looked a bit more professional since I had seen her in her office but it didn't make her less beautiful. I knew many in the school wanted her or wanted to be her.

"Good evening everyone," she said, scanning her eyes over the classroom, her eyes lingering on each face for a second, "this is the beginning of our unit. We are diving into the fascinating world of the Amazon's." Her gaze stopped on me as she swept her arms out, giving me a small wink. "January Hatten has joined us at our House of Night and with great timing if I might add. I will expect you all to make her feel welcome."

I blushed as everyone turned around in their seats to look at me, it felt like they were skewering me with their eyes. Everyone except for the guy sitting beside me, he just chuckled.

"What's so funny?" I snarled. I hated being embarrassed and called out by a teacher of a professor, it made me feel as if they were singling me out and there was nothing I wanted less than to be a teacher's pet.

"Oh nothing, just how aggravated ya' get. It's kinda' funny, you puff up and glow red like a tomato." He brushed his hair back and looked at me and I was shocked. His eyes, which I expected to be dark due to his obvious native heritedge were a light blue, almost gray. He noticed my shock and sighed, saying "figures" before pulling his hair back in front of his face and looking down at his desk. I wanted to re-start the conversation but I knew I would have to leave it to tomorrow.

"Does anyone know," Neferet said fondly, pacing through the aisles between the desks, "what Amazon traditions we still practice here at the House of Night?"

When no one answered Neferet smiled and turned to face the whole class. She pointed out her finger to the back of the class, at our desk. For a moment I thought she was pointing at me but instead she said, "Demetri." The dark boy beside me brought his head up as she beckoned for him to come up to the front of the class. He got up reluctantly and went up to the front.

"Demetri, demonstrate the way we shake hands and salute each other."

Demetri immediately brought his hand out and grabbed Neferet's forearm quite tightly as they both shook for a moment before they broke apart. Demetri and Neferet at the same time both put their fists over their hearts and bowed deep. As soon as this was over, Demetri was hurrying down the aisle to get back to his seat and even though he was dark, I could swear he was blushing.

"That is an Amazon tradition, my fledglings, one we are fond of keeping alive."

I tried to keep my attention to Neferet, lord knows I should pay attention to my classes, especially at a school full of vampyre's but I couldn't help glancing at Demetric. I got a strange feeling from him and I wasn't sure if it was just the fact that he was a stranger to me or if my intuition was trying to tell me something more.

"So," she said to the class, "what do you think you know about the Amazon's?"

A small blond girl at the front of the class shot her hand up.

"Yes Betty?"

The girl stood up proudly and faced the class.

"The Amazon's, as you all must know, were made up of women entirely. They were a fairly matriarchial group, as were many vampyre groups."

Neferet nodded and I could see that she could outwit Betty in an instant. Neferet knew this as well because her contemplating look turned to a sly smile.

"True Betty, but can you tell me what happens when people talk about Amazon legend?"

Betty, who seemed a bit dense to me, seemed to pipe right up, ready for an answer. "Things are added onto' history."

"Correct," Neferet said, looking pleased, "What does that mean?"

Surprisingly Demetri shot up his hand as Neferet nodded to him. He cleared his voice and stood up as well.

"People, mostly humans, thought that the Amazon's were hater of men, they were even thought of men killers."

"Most right, Demetric. We know that just because a group is matriarchial doesn't mean that is anti-male. Nyx has a consort, who of course is male, that she is truly devoted to. The Amazons are unique in the respect that they were a society of vampyre women that chose to be their own warriors and protectors. As most of you have noticed, our society is still matriarchial but we do respect the Sons of Night, they are considered our protectors and consorts. Now please open your books to Chapter Three, we will be looking at the greatest of the Amazon warriors, Penthesilea, but be careful not to mix legend and history."

Neferet spent the next hour giving us an awesome lecture. I hadn't thought it was going to be this cool, usually sitting in a classroom and hearing a teacher drone on and on tended to get on my nerves but in this class I was totally attentive and was taking notes like crazy. I hadn't realized Neferet had stopped talking and the class was over until Demetri poked me.

"Hey, you're going to miss your next class. Where are ya' going?"

"Uh," I stammered, fishing my shedule out from my pocket. "Poetry with Professor Blake."

"Cool," he nodded, standing up, slinging his bag over one shoulder, "I have the same. We'll walk together. Do you think there's a chance of us finding a seat in the back?"

I giggled as I stood up as well, grabbing my bag from underneath my desk. "Only if we're fast and lucky."

**Please R&R guys, I wanna' know how I'm doing. Thanks a bunch! xoxox**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dragon Lankford & Lit

_Notes:_** I mostly take the class information right from the books but I do try to make it a bit different so it isn't the same ol', same ol'. I hope you guys don't mind! No new characters except the old ones, new ones MAY be coming soon! xoxo!**

Poetry class had went by in whirr. I had a hard enough time concentrating with so many new things to tackle and there was the other fact of the super hot professor, Loren Blake. Many of the girls almost melted into a puddle of grease when he entered the classroom, myself included but I knew like many other schools, the professor-student relationship is frowned upon and mostly forbidden. Demetri had kept me company though, sticking relatively close to me. I figured the guy didn't have many friends due to his standoffish nature and his inward thinking but I seemed to get along, if silently with him.

As we walked out of Poetry class I noticed Demetri was looking a lot better. He had taken his hair away from his eyes and was looking at everyone cluttering the hallways with a look of interest.

I raised my eyebrow at him as he shrugged.

"Fencing is next, right? I think we have the same shedule. I've always liked Fencing, it's the only thing I'm good at." He said it and actually looked proud. If he had been arrogant I would've rolled my eyes but I looked at him intently as he adverted his eyes away from me and down the hallway.

"Ready to go?" He said quietly.

I didn't respond and just linked my arm through his as we walked down the hallway to our next class.

Class was held in a side room attached to the gym and resembled more like a dance/ballet studio than classroom. One wall of the classroom held huge mirrors and on the other wal, hanging from the ceiling, were life-sized dummies that I imagined were used to practice what we learned.

When I first entered the class it was not the look of it or the fact that it didn't look like a classroom, it was Dragon. I knew know why he was called such. His tattoo represented two dragons whose bodies wrapped along his jawline. Their heads and their open mouths were positioned over his brows, fire coming out of their agape mouths, the flames directing towards the cresent moon which was naturally completely filled. It was quite amazing to look upon him and I did look upon him like a moron, standing in the doorframe of the classroom. Demetri finally managed to push me inside and away, for the most part, from the snickers of the other students and found a place in the back of the classroom to stand. However, that didn't stop Dragon Lankford as he immediately sought me out. He walked over, strong and bold and grabbed my forearm, shaking it awkwardly as I put my fist over my heart as I had seen Demetri and Neferet do, and bowed.

"It is good to have you in our class, January. Demetri can help you catch up on anything you missed and I will give you a handout to read up on at the end of the class. I'm guessing you've had no previous instruction?"

"Aha, no, most people don't trust me with weapons." I giggled. It was true. I was very clumsy.

Dragon smiled at me, shaking his head. "Well, it is not a weapon, a foil. It could be used as one, yes, but they aren't classified as such. Foils are the lightest weight of weapons we have here, and they are an excellent instrument for women. Did you know that Fencing is one of the only sports where men and women can compete on a totally equal level?"

I shook my head, I didn't know that, but I thought it was pretty cool. I mean, I wasn't unfamiliar to beating my cousins (who were boys) at sports, so naturally I knew I was competiting on a equal level with them.

"Pretty cool," I nodded.

"Yes and it is because an intelligent and focused fencer can overcome deficiencies he or she may have. They may be able to turn those deficiencies into assets. In other words, you may not be completely up to par with your opponent but you could be smarter or be able to remain focused better which will definitely make things shine brighter in your favor. Am I correct, Demetri?"

Demetri nodded, seeming very aware and focused on what Dragon was saying.

Dragon looked at Demetric fondly and patted the youth's shoulder.

"Demetri is the most determined fencer's I've had. He still has a lot of learning to do but he wants it more than anyone I've ever seen. He makes for a dangerous opponent."

I smirked at Demetri as he shyed away from my glance, looking at his feet.

"I will get Demetri to drill you in the opening maneuvers. Remember though, fencing requires a mastery of skills that are sequential and hierarchical in their nature. If one of the skills is not learned, subsequent skills will be very hard to master and the fencer will be at a permanent and very serious disadvantage."

I nodded, saying quietly. "I'll remember."

He nodded and smiled, turning away from us and heading over to other paired students.

"That means that we're probably be going to be doing the same things over and over again. Y'know, to pound it into your brain and such."

"There's a purpose behind it though, right?" I felt nervous, I didn't want to fail at this.

"Of course, but the purpose is totally decided by you. Your butt is totally going to be killing you."

I didn't think it would, but after awhile of lunging over and over - I knew what he was saying was true. My hind end was absolutely killing me and the sweat was rolling off me quite heavily.

After class was over, I hobbled out of class and found Natasha waiting for me. As I limped towards her she laughed, folding her arms across her chest, looking up and down at me.

"I see you enjoyed fencing."

I nodded, gasping in deep breaths. I wasn't used to this much exercize.

"Well, you only have five minutes for a quick shower so you better hurry up. Lit is just beside Neferet's office, you remember how to get there?"

I nodded as we stopped in front of the door to the girls locker room.

"Okay, I'll see you there. Remember, five minutes. They don't mind if you're late the first day but you really should try to get there on time."

I ran into the girls locker room and was relieved when there weren't many girls residing inside. There were separate curtain-draped stalls for each of us which also made me thankful that we didn't have to bathe in a big group (ew), and when I got into one, I went on my mission of washing the grit and such from my old life. Then I gathered my clothing and dressed, heading out of the room to my third class, Lit.

When I finally got to Lit I walked inside and was surprised to hear my name being called. I stood in the doorframe, squinting towards the back as I saw Tom, Chris, Natasha, Jo'anne and Demetri waving towards me from a large table. I smiled and headed over there as Demetri moved his bags off the only available seat and I sat down. I felt comfortable with my new group and felt like I was beginning to make a group of friends.

"Did you like fencing?" Demetri said as he leaned towards me, so close that I could feel his hair brushing against my cheek. I blushed, nodding quickly.

"It was great, but you were right, you do get pretty sore."

He smiled and sat back in his original position. I noticed that Jo'anne had been looking at us the whole time and she wasn't happy.

I decided while waiting for the professor I wasn't going to concentrate on Demetri but observe the classroom. It was definitely interesting. There were strange posters, paintings and what looked like original art adorned the walls. Hanging from the ceiling were wind chimes and some crystals - a great few of them. Professor Penthesilea (whose name I recognized from Vamp Soc 101) was like an actress straight from the movies. She had extremely long reddish-blond hair, big hazel eyes, and a vuluptous body that probably made all the guys go gah-gah (not that it's very hard, mind you). Her tattoo's were thin lines made into beautiful Celtic knots that made their way down her face and around her distinguished cheekbones, making them look dramatic. She was wearing expensive looking pants and a beige colored silk cardigan sweater set that had the same Goddess figure blazed over her beast as Neferet had been wearing.

"I was born in April, the year of 1902," Professor P said, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. I hadn't expected her to say that, she looked so young. There was no way she was more than one-hundred years old. "I was ten years in April of 1912, and I remember this specific tragedy well. About which tragedy am I speaking of? Do any of you have the answer?"

Chris immediately shot his hand up as Professor P smiled. "Yes Chris?"

"The TItanic sank in April of 1912. It was struck by an iceberg late on a Sunday night, the fourteenth, and sank just a few short hours later on the fifteenth."

I heard everyone at the table mutter in amazement, we hadn't expected Chris to answer, to speak at all for that matter. Everyone in the class looked at him as well as he blushed and looked down at his book again, looking through the pages but not really reading them.

"Correct, Chris. I was living in Chicago at the time of the sinking, and I will never forget about the newsies shouting the heart-wrenching headlines from the street corners. It was a horrid experience, especially because there was a great total of lives lost, and it was so preventable. It was also the end of one age and the beginning of another, as well as bringing about much needed changes in shipping laws. We are going to study all of this of course, plus the melodramatic events of the night, in our next piece of reading, Walter Lord's well researched book, A Night to Remember. He was not a vampyre, Walter, but it is a shame he wasn't," she said quietly under her breath, "I still find his take on the night very interesting and his writing style is wonderful and quite enjoyable to read. Alright, let's get this show on the road! The first person in each row please get books for the people in your row from the long cabinet in the back of the room."

When the books were all handed out Professor P started reading Chapter One to us. I was totally submerged in the books, taking notes quite quickly, wanting to remember many things in case they were on a further test or quiz. It was amazing that so many hours of class time went by and I had honestly enjoyed every hour. I wished my previous high school had've been like this, maybe I would've been a different, more enlightened person. When the bell rang, Professor P assigned us Chapter Two to read for homework, Tom, Chris, Natasha, Jo'anne, Demetri and I merely stood up and started to walk out the door when Jo'anne suddenly started walking ahead, pushing me aside with great force.

"What where you're going, idiot." She snarled as she huffed out of the door.

I looked at Natasha as we exited the classroom and she just shrugged her shoulders mouthing "crazy" at me. I giggled. I knew Jo'anne was an enemy now, but at least I had someone who I knew deep down wouldn't abandon me. Natasha.

**R&R guys! Thanks! (:**


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